Is there a tour at LL Bean or just shopping?

I%26#39;m new to visiting this area of the country. I know that LL Bean is near Portland and I know it%26#39;s a tourist attraction. Why? For the shopping or is there something else? Is it worth a visit? Thanks.

Is there a tour at LL Bean or just shopping?

I%26#39;m not aware of any tour. L.L. Bean is in Freeport, about 20 miles up I-295 from Portland. Right now, Bean comprises either three or four stores and is the magnet retailer for Freeport, which has a large number of shops, many in old Freeport buildings.

In addition to all of the merchandise---most but not all oriented to outdoor recreation---there is a large, nearly walk-in trout tank.

If you have part of a day, Freeport is worth the visit. In addition to Bean and all of the other stores, there is DeLorme, now probably the largest producer of maps, including their series of atlas/gazetteers for each state. The Freeport headquarters has an enormous globe--Eartha--which rotates at the same rate as the planet. It is worth seeing.

Is there a tour at LL Bean or just shopping?

I think it%26#39;s a tourist attraction because a lot of people buy their stuff on line or from catalogs and want to see the ';real'; store. Bean%26#39;s is open 24/7/365. There are no locks on the doors because they never close. In nice weather they have clinics outside - casting, archery, etc. In the winter they do as well, including ice/snow sculptures. They offer ';walk on adventures'; like kayaking. There is a cost for those. Bean%26#39;s also has a liberal return policy and has attracted a large loyal customer base.

Legend has it, they have even accepted ';other'; companies products, rather than tell the customer they are wrong, when offering an exchange.

Maybe Royalty would get an escorted tour.

Have lived in Maine for 60+ years and been an L.L. Bean customer since I was old enough to understand retail commerce. Am not aware of any ';tours'; to be had -- closest thing I can think of is their ';Outdoor Adventure'; programs mentioned above. They%26#39;ve morphed over the years from a single, retail store on the second floor of the building that had their warehouse on the first floor to a multi-building ';campus'; in the heart of downtown Freeport. Last time I was there, they had what they called three separate buildings, although two of them are connected. There%26#39;s the Discount Store, where you can get some great buys on off-season or discontinued items, the Hunting and Fishing Store, which is really a new two-story wing built as an attachment to the existing store, and then their two and one half or three story main retail store that houses the majority of their merchandise. The attraction for most folks of actually going to the Freeport location is that it is the ';mother store'; from which their multi-state and now multi-national expansion began as they became one of the world%26#39;s best-known and best-respected retailers of outdoor products and clothing. Others come because they%26#39;ve ordered by phone or on-line for years and want to see the store itself. (For some it%26#39;s almost a pilgrimage to the mecca of outdoor products.) Ever since it%26#39;s founding, L.L. Bean has had a unique reputation for outstanding quality and superb customer service, standing behind their products to the nth degree. Their Freeport store served as the catalyst for numerous other retail ';outlet store'; locations throughout the downtown Freeport area. If you%26#39;re trying to decide whether or not its%26#39; worth a visit, check out their website at LLBean.com

I don%26#39;t about any tours of LL Bean, but Bean does offer some really great outside trip of the area. Depending when your in the area check some of there offers, such as cross country skiing, kayaking, snowshoeing, fly fishing ect. These are called Walk-On Adventures and only cost about $15, with Bean all equipment. Heres the web site llbean.com/outdoorsOnline/…odsFreeport.html

Thanks for all the information. It sounds like a stop worth making.